So long Steve Blake, We wish you luck... well not that much luck

As heard first on the Bald Faced Truth on 95.5 The Game here in Portland, Debbie Blake, Steve Blake's sister, confirms that Blakey is indeed signing a 4 year deal worth $16 million with the hated L*kers. I'm glad Steve found a new home, but oh how much i would give if it wasn't with the L*kers. I know we traded him so we can't be too mad about it, in fact we got a key piece in Marcus Camby because of that trade. Still, I was holding out hope that we would sign Blake back to be our back up PG this year. All Bias aside, I think Blakey will be a good fit for the L*kers, he'll provide a steadying hand on offense and a safety valve for K*be. We all know Blake can make it rain from deep. I'm gonna miss him and I'm happy for him and wish him the best of luck. Until he enters the RG in those filthy colors, then he's the enemy. He will always be part of this Blazers family tho, at least in this maniacs opinion,

Free agency and.. GASP! CP3??!!?

Yes sir its that time of year where teams try to lure prospective players away from their current situations so that they will play for them. In other words; free agency. teams are now allowed to talk to free agents and try to swoon them. Please note that no one can officially sign until July 8th, but it doesn't hurt to get a head start. This is no ordinary draft class however, no no no. Big time names like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and of course the anointed one, LeBron James, are on all on the table. where will they go? who knows. The Blazers probably don't have a significant chance of landing one of those players. The free agents the Blazers are looking at include the likes of Wesley Mathews, Kyle Korver, and Anthony Morrow. All of these players are fairly legit but there is a question on whether the Blazers can offer them enough to lure them from their respective teams. All these players seem to shooting guards or small forwards, the Blazers could really use a point, i wonder who could be had... Wait, what? the Blazers are taking aim at Chris FREAKING Paul??? one of, if not THE best point guards in the game? i'm impressed, the Blazers are taking a run at a superstar and regardless of whther they get him or not, this tells me they want to win and they want to do it now. Last week during the draft the Hornets and Blazers were discussing a deal that would have sent Joel Przybilla, Andre Miller, Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless and the 22nd pick for CP3. Apparently this deal was very close to going down and the Blazers look like they are still pushing hard to land Paul, I would freak out. Roy and Paul in the same back court? legendary. I would hate to loose these players, especially Nic and Bayless but fora once in a lifetime point guard? sorry guys. i have my doubts this will happen but I'm also hopeful and you should be too because this rumor is hanging around. I love free agency! check back for updates as they happen!

P.S. Danny Ferry seems to be the front runner in the GM search, he had an interview and is apparently mulling it over. He wouldn't be a bad pick up, he's a guy cut from the same cloth as KP, both went through the San Antonio front office before getting their own teams, I'll keep you posted on this as well. Go Blazers!

Doc

Kevin Pritchard and the draft

I'm gonna start out with something that bugs me quite a bit; the firing of Kevin Pritchard. First and foremost I'm completely against the firing. KP, although not perfect ( no GM is), has done a good job. When he took over our fan base was reeling from all the off the court issues that had been occurring, the on court product was atrocious, and we were sitting on some massively overpaid contracted players. KP came in, and rid us of all of the bad character guys as the first step. Go and get good quality players who were just as importantly good people too. Then he reconnected with the fan base, brought the maniacs back to the Garden. then, through the draft, he made our team into a legit player in the Western Conference. under his leadership the Blazers have show continued improvement every year (except for last year but we were so injured last year that we probably shouldn't have eve made the playoffs). So why was he fired? we don't really know. there are theories and whispers about him taking too much credit in the media and throwing Paul Allen under the bus, and about him not being trustworthy. I don't buy into that much, a lot of the credit he got for what he did was from media and fans, he wasn't the one who came up with 'pritch-slap'. Nor did I think he really threw Paul Allen under the bus with what he said. regardless of what happened, Paul Allen can do whatever he wants, it's his team, but show some class. Kevin Pritchard had his legs cut off at the knee and was dangled out in the wind to dry for weeks. I wish him luck wherever he lands and thank him for all he did for this team, he will always be a Blazer in my mind.

KP was fired, right before the draft, allegedly he was fired before that but whatever, he was fired the day of the draft but had to work the draft before he was officially relieved of his duties. Hopefully KP left us one more gift before he left us. One unusual fact, the three players we drafted were all lefties. I don't know if Ive ever heard of that happening before, just a fun fact. the blazers traded Martel Webster to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Ryan Gomes and the 16th pick. Ryan Gomes was cut which saved us money and lowered us below the luxury tax so we now have more money for free agents. with the 16th pick the Blazers received Luke Babbitt, a small forward from Nevada. the kid can fill it up. he's a shooter and a damn good one, something this team needs. At the 22nd pick the Blazers selected Elliot Williams, a 6'4'' combo guard from Memphis. I've heard this kid has crazy upside and is one hell of an athlete. with the 34th pick the Blazers drafted Armon Johnson, another combo type guard from Nevada. He's supposed to be crazy athletic so we'll see how he works out. Remember; Johnson was taken in the second round so we do not have to sign him. Babbitt and Johnson will play in the upcoming summer league but Williams is nursing a knee injury, so for precautionary reasons he will sit out. So how will these rookies turn out? your guess is as good as mine, they are all players with upside, but all also have the potential to be busts. the Summer league is coming up in a little over a week so we'll get a good look at them then, and i will be providing posts with my thoughts on the players and evaluations on how they did. check back for more updates because this promises to be a busy summer! Rip City Baby!

Back again, lets give this one more shot!

So I know its been hit and miss with me on this blog, but im going to give it another go 'round and see if i can't do it consistently this time. It's been a long time since my blog has had any work done to it, but being the fans you are I'm sure you already know most of the big news. How we lost to phoenix in the playoffs, how Kevin Pritchard was fired. How we traded Martel Webster for the draft pick that ended up being Luke babbit and Ryan Gomes, then cut Ryan Gomes. I'm sure you've formed your opinion of Paul Allen the Vulcans by now. I'm going to touch on all that even if some of it is late, I'll tell you my personal feelings on each situation. The main reason I started back up was because as of 9:01 PST, teams are allowed to talk to free agents. While the Blazers probably won't be in play for the heavy hitting names, they will for sure be in the running for some nice pieces that can help this team. So basically I just wanted to put this blog out to let you know what I'm working on, i'm going to keep you up to date on any signings, trades or combination of the two that take place. Rumors will be posted as well because I love me a good rumor. We, as Blazers fan, are entering some unknown territory. We have no GM, we have questions about health and rotation. We have some money to play with and it looks as tho for the first time we might actually do that. It's a bit scary and I've heard people say we're on the down slide and that our fun little run is over before it began. I don't think this is true and hopefully I'm right, but nevertheless this is definitely going to be an interesting time. It's times like these tho, that We need to show our support to our team. We need to show people what Rip City is all about. so even tho we're not sure how everything is going to go down and we're not sure why some things have already gone down, we just need to chill, settled down, and watch. Hope for the best and see what happens from here. Whatever happens tho, my fellow Blazermaniacs, the Red, Black and White will be flying around the court next year, and there will still be a building of pinwheel wielding maniacs there to support that. Go Blazers!

Doc

Finally! one deal done and another player to help us win!

Ive been away from the blog for quite a while so I'm gonna do a lot of catching up. to start things off the biggest news is undoubtedly the signing of one Brandon Roy, most of you probably already know this, but its such a refreshing fact to know that we have BRoy inked to a 5 year deal, worth bout 80 million. Roy seemed to be relieved and eve said that he would have signed a 10 year deal if they had let him, an I am so glad that hes in the Rose City for quite some time. So know that he's locked up the Blazers still need to concentrate on Lamarcus, because as good as Brandon is, without Aldridge, the Blazers are prolly 10 wins worse than last year, he's essential, KP has until October 31 to get a deal before Lamarcus will become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2010. So lets cross our fingers and hope that gets done. Another blazers tidbit that you prolly all know by now, the Blazers signed Andre Miller. i was a little critical at first about this move but Ive had time to sit and ponder and I think he'll really help the squad, he likes to push the ball and run, which we could use a little bit of a fast break game, of course we'll still be a half court team but some running would be nice, hopefully with Dre and some of the athlete we have, we can get some of that. Not only that but Dre will be able to run the half court very nicely i think and even tho hes not a 3 point threat his mid range is pretty good and he should compliment brandon Roy well as he's able to get into the paint, and handle the ball alleviating some of the pressure Roy will be dealing with. miller is only 6'1'' making him our shortest player but he plays bigger than he is and even will occasionally post up gaurds, using his high basketball I.Q. Dre is exactly the kind of upgrade with veteran experience that the Blazers needed. and as for who to start, Blake or Miller? who cares? McMillan will figure out who works best with what unit but either way, we'll have one of the best point guard rotations in the league! ok so other than that, we just made it through august, the slowest month of the year in NBA terms, but we're out of that and its September, training camp wil start soon and then pre season, and before you know it, the season opener with Houston. The Blazers also signed Rookie Dante Cunningham to the squad, he proved himself valuable in the Vegas summer league, and the rumor is that Jeff Pendegraph will also be signed. the only other bit of news is that the Blazers are considering signing one or both, Juan Howard an Stromile Swift. Howard, is a big man who can bang down low or hit a mid range j, hes a little older but provides a solid back up and and veteran presence. Stromile swift, has been a Blazer killer for many years, and although he isnt all that great on the defensive end, he's long and athletic and can play on the offensive end. I'll keep you informed of that as word comes along. Other than that, i hope you feel you blazermania rising, the season is fast approaching and i get amped just thinking about it! hold on Blazers fans, not much longer! Go Blazers!

H. Turkoglu? P. Milsap? What about effin B. Roy!?

So ive already told you about the botched offer to Hedo Turkoglu. Well after that fell through the Blazers signed Paul milsap from the Jazz to an offer sheet. I believe the deal was a 4 year contract worth about 32 million. Now Milsap was a restricted free agent so the jazz had to match our deal within a week to retain him. so what the Blazers did was make the contract 'toxic' pretty much meaning they front loaded it with a signing bonus and Milsap was going to get about 17 million dollars up front. speculation is that the Blazers knew the jazz were going to match this deal, which would have put them way over the luxury tax, having both Paul Milsap and carlos Boozer (both all star quality power forwards). So What the Blazers appeared to be doing is trying to hurt the Jazz, by making them keep Milsap or Boozer, not both, and if the jazz didnt sign, o well, u have an all star caliber player backing up Lamarcus. well heres where i have a problem. now people are talking about our front office like we're a bunch of bullies, and talking about KP like hes just a lousy cheat. see I seem to remember when the grizzlies decided to sign Darius Miles just to f**k with our cap space, people told Blazers fans to 'get over it, its all part of the game' and say that thats how the league works. well then why the hell do i have to hear all this talk about the Blazers being bullies and 'messing with people'. remember, its all part of the game dammit. anyways, so the Jazz matched the offer, so the Blazers didnt get Milsap, another free agent falls thru the cracks. however the Blazers are the best option with the most cash for either a lopsided trade or signing a free agent now. i personally think the Blazers will try to get a lopsided trade going rather than sign someone. there is a bit of chatter on L*kers free agent Lamar Odom, I know most Blazers fans roll their eyes at that, for my take on it you should read the post below. Now my real pet peeve tho. Brandon Roy specifically but lamarcus Aldridge as well, are up for contract extensions this year. now Lamarcus as much as i love him isnt a max money player, but he should definitely get at least 4 years. Brandon Roy however is the kind of player you slide a blank check across the desk and tell him to put any number he wants for. for some reason, contract talks have stalled with both. Speaking specifically about Brandon Roy, why the hell is this happening? your going to jerk around your best player? the one guy most responsible for taking your team from a laughing stock of the NBA to one of the best and most promising teams? the guy who does nothing but improve and carry your team? the guy who has done everything you ask on and off the court? bullshit. get the deal done, the negotiations shouldn't take longer than it takes for him to sign his name on the contract. and Lamarcus s a no brainer too. instead of focusing on the final piece right now, why don't we focus on the two players that got us close enough to look for a final piece? well that's my rant for the night, I'll keep you posted if anything big drops. and PS, visit signbrandon.com, sign up and voice your distaste with this bs. Go Blazers! LGKP!

Doc

o u son of a %&@#* mother ^*(#@!!! D*(#hole C&#k!!

well as you probably have heard, Hedo pulled an about face and after making a verbal commitment to the Blazers, took 3 million dollars more to go play in Toronto. hell if he really wants to go play on a perennially bad team that may be losing Chris Bosh, good riddance, have fun NOT winning a ring, ever. to be honest, as much as i was looking forward to having a big name player like Turk, I was never completely sold on the idea, 10 million a yea is a lot for a player whose best years are behind him, and besides, i don't want player who is here for money. I WISH we coulda landed artest, he took way less money than he could have pulled from the open market to play with the L*kers and try to win a ring. So regardless of whats happened, the question now is what will happen? where will the Blazers look to upgrade? well i think the Blazers need to exercise a bit of caution because there are no real big free agents that fit our team perfectly out there any more. So we could still make a run at a free agent,or we could work trades. Or we could do nothing and see how this team grows organically, which may set us back another year but it could help us in the long run too. What am i hearing on the subject tho? well strangely im hearing that the Blazers are pushing hard for David Lee. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE David Lee. I love his game, I think hes got a great personality and he would fit right in with the culture of the team. He also brings that toughness that we so desperately need and want. However, lets get real, he wants to get payed, and he wants to star, and he's not starting over Lamarcus. So even if we could talk him into playing a backup role, do you really want to pay a back up the 9 to 10 million it may take to land him? no, you don't, and I hope KP doesn't either. the only way this works is if he plays at the 3, but i have doubts about how effective that'll be. It would create match up problems as he's a good sized 3 but he also wouldn't be as quick as some of the other 3's in the league. The Andre Miller rumor is still circulating and getting some play I like Andre Miller, but i don't know if i like him enough for this team lol. i believe he shoots in the 20% range from the 3 point line, which is ridiculously low especially when you have someone like Brandon Roy who can drive and dish. He also has never really won anywhere he's gone, you cant hold that against him but its still something to think about. Another name Ive heard tossed around is Lamar Odom from the L*kers. my first thought is no. No effing way I want this p.o.s on my team. I'm gonna try to look at this from 'would he help the team' perspective. He plays the 3, which is an area we could use an upgrade in, and he is better than any of the 3's that we have currently. He's a big 3, so he could also play some of the backup 4 as well as providing some insane match up problems. He can be an excellent defender when he wants to be. he can be the 3rd scorer behind Aldridge and Roy, he would welcome that role with open arms because he doesn't always show up to play (which is an issue). he also probably wants a fairly good sized payday. it may work out much like it did for him in LA, with Roy and Aldridge taking the place of Pau and K*be. So is this a good fit? well it sounds like it may be, and it hurts me to say that lol, but really maybe he could help us, assuming of course that he's actually good and not just a product of system. And i know right now he's a l*ker but Ive always said this, i may not like him know, but you win a couple games for me and that may change. and quickly, I havent commented yet on the Pistons signing Ben Gordon to a 55 million dollar deal and Charlie Vilanaueva signing a 40 million dollar deal. I just have to say, is Joe Dumars out of his F*KING mind? wow, good job Detroit, great signings, you got a hell of a bargain... lol. anyways i will keep the site updated on any more news from trades or free agency, keep checking back in. Go Blazers! o and Lets Go Kevin Pritchard! make it happen buddy!

Doc